Beth Chatto’s: A plant enthusiast’s nursery 

Julia is the CEO and Beth’s granddaughter. Growing up in the Midlands Julia would regularly visit her grandparents and spent her childhood summer holidays at the Gardens. With a background in general management at Donington Park (Race Track) she joined the business in 2012, bringing her business acumen, a deep love for the Gardens, a tie to its history and an ambition for the future.  

In addition to ensuring that the business is in good shape for the future, Julia is deeply commited to carrying Beth’s legacy forward, reducing environmental footprint and championing the value of green public spaces by promoting ecological and sustainable planting and practices. Chattowood, a local housing development where the Beth Chatto team introduced a drought resistant planting scheme in sand, the Meanwhile Garden next to Firstsite Art Gallery and the Albert roundabout in Colchester are all perfect living examples of how thoughtful, environmentally sensitive planting can enhance the environment and support biodiversity. Julia recently appeared as a speaker on the In the Footsteps of Giants US lecture tour, curated by Garden Masterclass, exploring the legacy of three iconic British gardens created by extraordinary women. 

Jo, Managing Director, joined the business in 2022 having worked as a director of supply chain management for Clarins. While there, she ran international logistics operations and built the infrastructure to support a £120 millionbuisness by focusing on the careful integration of people, processes and technology. With twenty years in people management and leadership development, Jo leads the team at Beth Chatto’s and is chief guardian of its values and culture.

Emily is the Propagation Expert at Beth Chatto’s Plants & Gardens where she has worked for over thirty-five years. Emily started working during her school holidays, joining the business full time in 1991. Working closely with Beth, who generously shared her passion for plants, flower arranging and propagation, Emily soon found her love for growing plants. Having spent many years practicing under Beth’s watchful eye, Emily, with her artistic flair, also learnt to produce beautiful floral arrangments and create plant displays.  

With the plants in the garden being the main source of seed and cutting material, Emily works closely with the Garden team. In addition to producing plants for the nursery Emily regularly grows plants for leading garden designers and has helped plant show gardens at both Hampton Court and Chelsea Flower Show. She is a familiar face at our stall during plant fairs, and her propagation courses and workshops are always in high demand. Continuing Beth’s tradition of teaching, Emily continues to share her extensive knowledge, helping to nurture the next generation of horticultural talent. 

Åsa is the Head Gardener at Beth Chatto’s Plants & Gardens where she has worked since 2001. Born in Sweden, her career in horticulture began at Bergius Botanic Gardens, Stockholm. Following horticultural studies, keen to further expand her plant knowledge, Åsa wrote a letter to Beth, who’s style and approach to gardening she much admired, asking if there were any opportunities available. In 2001 she took up recidence in the caravan next to Beth’s vegetable garden and spent the summer working on the nursery before joining the Garden Team full-time, gradually taking on more responsibilities as Beth stepped back from the daily running of the gardens. Having worked closely with Beth over the years, Åsa has gained an invaluable insight  and understanding of the garden’s underlying philosophy and principles. 

Åsa’s current role involves promoting sustainable gardening through talks, courses, articles and content for publications. She works closely with Julia Boulton, offering planting advise to developers and city councils. At Chattowood, a local housing development where the Beth Chatto team introduced a drought resistant planting scheme in sand, Åsa was responsible for the majority of the design.